Bulgaria
The first railway line in Bulgaria that was entirely designed and built by Bulgarian engineers and designers, connecting Caribrod, Sofia and Vakarel, was opened on 1 August 1888. The first electrified track, between Sofia and Plovdiv was put into operation in 1963. Nowadays the two major train routes are Sofia - Varna and Sofia - Bourgas. You can travel both routes overnight.
Visit the website of the Bulgarian railway company BDZ: English version / Bulgarian .
Special trains Bulgaria
There are some special trains in Bulgaria that require a reservation or supplement. You can make reservations during your trip at most international train stations.
Seat reservation is required for the following trains:
- Bulgarian State Railways, BDZ (Bulgarski Durzhavni Zheleznitsi) operates international passenger trains and domestic trains, circulating on the main routes.
- Balkan Express - circulating on the route Istanbul / Sofia / Budapest.
This train runs in both directions.
Network
There are various connections with other European countries:
- Sofia - Belgrade - one day train and one night train
- Sofia - Bucharest - one day train and one night train
- Sofia - Thessaloniki
- Svilengrad - Alexandroupolis
- Bulgaria Express from Sofia to Kiev, Moscow, Minsk and Saint Petersburg.
- The Black Sea Train circulates during certain periods of the year from Moscow and Minsk to Varna and vice versa.
- The Bucharest / Istanbul Express - circulating on the route Bucharest / Stara Zagora / Istanbul.
InterRail Passes for Bulgaria
- InterRail Global Pass
- valid in 30 countries, incl. Bulgaria
- InterRail One Country Pass
- available for 28 countries, incl. Bulgaria